Electrical warming means or device for use with internal combustion engines to facilitate starting thereof



May 12, 1931. c, R GROVES 1,895,040

ELECTRICAL WARMING MEANS OR DEVICE FOR USE WITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES To FACILITATE STARTING THEREOF 1 Filed NOV. 28, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. R. D. GROVES May 12. 1931. 1,805,040

' ELECTRICAL WARMING MEANS OR DEVICE FOR USE WITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES TO FACILITATE STARTING THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 28, 1928 unnnn l Patented May 12, 1931 PATENT QFFICE CECiLf-EEGINALD nownnn.

F THORNTON HEATH, ENGLAND madman WARMIN units on DEVICE FOR USE WITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION EN- GINES TO FAGELZEATE STIKEZTI'NG TIIFJREOF stju cndnfiiei manta 28,

This invention relates to an electrical warmlng ni'eans ordev c'e for'use with 1nternal combustion engines to facilitate start ing thereof. v v A defect' attending" internal combustion engine s'is the diflicultyexperienced in starting the engine, especially during cold weather, and to overcome this difficulty va rious schemes'iand"devices have been used,

plenish the 'healiil g a ent W $1 heating I properties thereof had beeneXhaustedL Other devices'for achieving the said oh have effected warrning of thespa'rking the prokiinii y of the sparking 'elecj i P I I trodes, and devicesro thispurpose have included a wire coil or filanient v constituting anelec'tric heatlng element, embeddedin in sulatiofn land adapted to" impart the ne'ces saryhea't to the plug when" an "electric; currentis passed through thesaid coil or fila- I The present invention contemplates the use of'electrieal war ning' means applie or? adapted to he 'appliedto any suitable part of the engine Onasso'ci'ate' elements or p rte "where v the imparting of heat thereto will "facilitate the starting of theengine, suchf'asto the sparking plug', carhuretter body or fuelinduction systern'of the engine orfto the water-cooling system thereof,'or,

bodying the inventlon; and,

inthe case'of "a Diesel englne tothe usual ignition tube is' effected during the annular or clip-like heatingelement COIlSlSl' ing' ota whe coil ornament ernlie'dded in insulatidn, surrounds the sparking plug pipe; tu'be or chani'her' (e. g; carburetter Ody) to'wh1chthe device is appliedyor, in

by means of which ignition starting of the engine. According" to the present invention, an

' on line 1313.'

1928, Serial Ne. sea-3e52, and n1 Qreat Britain January 10, 1928.

to sparking plugs of internal combustion engines to serve as a means for heating same with a view to evaporating moisture, due to condensation, deposited on the plug, on or in'the vicinity of the sparking electrodes to facilitate starting of the engine.

In order that the invention may bereadily understood, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings forming partoi this specification, wherein p Figure l is an elevation of the device made according to the invention, intended to fit in sleeve-fashion on to a sparking plug induction tube, carburetter body, or on to a pipe of the water-cooling system. F'gures 2 and 3 are sectional and plan views respectively of the device shown in Figure l. V U Figure t is an elevation of a sparking plug fitted with the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a partsectional view of a modification wherein the invention is ein bodied in the construction of a sparking" p e- .M Figurefi 1s a sectional view of an induction tube, or pipe of the water-cooling systein showing the invention 'einbodied in the construction thereof.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a modificatioir 5 wherein the device is in the" forin of a strip I d adapted to be bent around the article to' which the device is applied inclip-fashion. 1

Figure 8'is an enlarged fragmentary view of Figure 7; and, v 4 V Figure9 is a sectional view of a tubeor pipe illustrating the device shown in Figure 7 applied thereto.

Figure 10 is a face view of a gasket em- Figure 11 is a section on line 11-11 in Figure 10. v

Figure 12 is an enlarged perspective "view of an alternativeiiorm of heating element that may be emplo yed'in the device shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 13 1s a Reterring'firstly to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the device illustrated therein coniprises an inner metal ring or sleeve 14.- havcros s-section of Figure 12" ers of mica 18 between whichjthe wire coil 16 is interposed; The outer ring 17 has no contact WVltll the inner ring 14 except through the wire coil 16, but is insulated therefrom by the heating element. I

The outerband is shown having a finger 19 fitted with a terminal 20 adapted-for the connection thereto of a lead from a'suitable source of electric current. One end of the wire coil 16 is connected to the outer ring 17, whilst the other end of said coil is connected to the inner ring 1 1-, the latter connectionv earthi'ng the current through the articleto which the device is applied. The electric current source aforesaid also has an earthed lead in order to completethe circuit, a suitable switch being incorporated in said circuit, where convenient. Alternatively in-' stead of. earthing the coil byway of'the inner ring 14, the end thereot above referred to as being earthed may be connected to a second, suitably insulated, terminal, so that in this case there are two terminals for the connection of the respective leads or the circuit.

The device is adapted to slide over the end of and reside on the article to which it is applied, being a close fit thereon, namely carburetter body, induction pipe, watercooling pipe, sparking plug, and in; the casewhere it is applied to a sparking plug it is fixed on that portion of the plug body which projects from the engine cylinder but which is in close proximity to the screwed nose of the plug, as shown in. Figure 41 of the drawings, and whenthe circuitis completed through the resistance wire 16, the lower part of the plug becomesheated, thus attaining the objects in view aforesaid.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 5, the invention is incorporated with the sparking plug 21 as a unitary part thereof. That is to say, the lower portion 22 of the plug body is formed with an: annularexternal recess in order to accommodate the heating element so that in effect the plug body, is the equivalent of the inner ring 14 shown in Figure 1. V r

Likewise, in the construction illustrated in Figure 6, the invention is incorporated with a tube 23 forming the induction pipe or, a part of the water-cooling circulation system of the engine, as a unitary part of said pipe, the tube 23 being formed with an annular external recess which accommodates or ignition tube,

, form in effect a the heating element so that in effect the tube 23 is the equivalent of the inner ring 14. The same method of construction would apply in the case of the carburetter body if the device is incorporated therewith as a unitary part.

Although one coil of filament only is shown in the above described construction, it is to be understood that two or more coils or filaments may be employed if necessary, the number of mica layers being increased accordingly to insulate the" adjacent coils from one another.

In cases where the tube, chamber or article to which the invention is to be applied'has lateral projections or flanges at each of its ends which would prevent the device here-' inbefore described being slid von to said tube, I provide a modified construction, shownin Figures 7,8 and 9, formed of a pair of flatmetal strips or plates 24, seamed, riveted or otherwise united along their opposite 7 provide a cavity between them, the said cavity housing a heating element consisting of a wire filament 25 of a sinuous or other shape wound on a mica coil 26 and arranged between mica layers 27. Thesaid device is bent into an approximately circular shape in use, that is to say, iswrapped around the pipe, chamber or article 28to which it is applied in clip-fashion, as shown in Figure 9, its ends being suitably connected to re tain it in place; for instance, it may have lug-shaped ends 29,drawn together by'a bolt or screw 30. A pair of terminal tags 31 mounted and held between the mica layers 27 are connected to the respective ends of the filament, the seamed or riveted edges of the outer strips orplates 24 being slotted to afford passage and clearance for the said terminal tags, and for mica pieces 32 which surround said tags. The invention may also be incorporated in a gasket or connection between adjacent pipe lengths or sections, for the carburetter and induction pipe, between flanged ends of said pipe lengths, so as to portion of the pipe. Such an embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 10 andll. The gasket or connection consists of a thick plate or block 33, recessed on one face to receive a complementary plate 34h An annular cavity in the plate or block 33, which is closed by a plate 34, houses a heating element consisting of a wire filament ,16 of a suitable number of coils mounted between mica rings 18. The plate 33 is suitably recessed for the passage of a terminal tag 35 connected to one filament 16, the other end of said filament being earthed to the plate 33. Bolt holes 36 to correspond with the flange boltholes are formed through both plates 33 and 34. 7

It is tobe understood that in connection longitudinal edges, and bent to instance, between end of the with any of the constructions shown in the drawings, one terminal ta only may be provided, connected to the lament, the other end of said filament being earthed, namely, connected to the part in which it is housed or accommodated; or, alternatively, a pair of terminal tags may be provided, connected to the. respective ends of the filament, the lattering being entirely insulated from the element in which it is housed.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate an alternative form of heating element that may be employed with the constructions shown in Fig ures 1 and 11, said element consisting of an annular block 37 of fireclay or other suitable refractory or insulating material, through which are formed a number of cavities 38 extending from end to end of said block, being formed in the thickness thereof and opening out at each end of the block. A length of resistance wire 39 is threaded through the cavities 38 in the manner indicated in dot-and-dash lines, the end surfaces of the block 37 each being formed with an annular recess 40 in which the connecting portions of the wire, between adjacent cavities, are accommodated, in order to prevent short-circuiting.

In connection with the construction shown in Figure 1, the outer ring 17 may be suit ably contracted after being fitted in place in order to retain same in place, and it is convenient in the ,manufacture of the device to form the inner ring 14 with one external flange 15 only and to form the outer flange by spinning over the end of the said ring 14 after having pressed the heating element and outer ring thereonto in endwise fashion.

In use, the current feeding the device is kept on for a time sufficient to heat the part to which it is applied, (for instance, in the case of a sparking plug, to heat the plug in order to evaporate condensed moisture on the plug electrodes) to facilitate starting of the engine. Once the engine has started the current is switched off, the device remaining out of action until again required for use.

I claim 1. An electrical heating device comprising an inner member of conducting material, a ring of conducting material surrounding said inner member, a resistance coil between said member and said ring connected at one end with the former and at its other end with the latter, and means insulating all portions of said coil between its ends from said member and said ring.

2. An electrical heating device comprising an inner member of conducting material having an external annular channel, a ring of conducting material surrounding the channel in said member and spaced at its ends from the ends of said channel, a resistance coil disposed in said channel and connected at one end with said member and at its other end with said ring, and means insulating all portions of said coil between its ends from said member and said ring.

3. An electric heating device according to claim 2 in which the member of conducting material. is constituted by a component part of an internal combustion engine.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature hereto this 8th day of November, 1928.

CECIL REGINALD DOWNER GROVES. 

